03 explorer had black trans fluid when i serviced it i pumped about half of the black fluid and mixed rest with new fluid it ran fine for about 30min now wont shift at all help what could i try

Asked by hiramc May 20, 2015 at 10:49 AM
about the 2003 Ford Explorer XLS V6

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

i tried to service my ford xls 4dr v6 2wd 2003 explorers transmission i dropped pan changed filter and it was alot of metal in the pan...the car has 214k on it i had it ror about 25k never messed with trans and im sure previous owners didnt either ...it was running fine after i serviced the transmission but now it went out again what should i do ..shop says needs new tranny but thats going to cost the same amount i paid for the car...any ideas???

2 Answers

The shop is right, once the fluid is black like that and over 200K, your definetely due for a rebuild, all the bands are burnt not allowing the trans to shift. You found metal fragments as well which is not good either. Sorry you found out now, but at that mileage it's best not to change the fluid if it was let go that long. So this will cost you around $2-3k, probably what you paid for the truck. My idea would be to find a used transmission that fits your truck and have that installed or install yourself. It will probably be around $500 for the trans, install will be more, but you'll get no warranty as you would on a rebuilt one. Chalk this one up as a learning experience, I always recommend having your mechanic look a vehicle over before purchase for things like this. Good Luck!

If you decide to keep the truck installing a reman tranny, change the fluid
and filter every 40K miles. My 96 Explorer, how handed down twice, is
just over 300K miles with the original transmission. Forget the 90K
recommendation in some owner's manuals.

i tried to service my ford xls 4dr v6 2wd 2003 explorers transmission i dropped pan
changed filter and it was alot of metal in the pan...the car has 214k on it i had it ror
about 25k never messed wi...

I had a broken transmission line to the front cooler by the radiator. I fixed it but when I tried to put fluid in through the trans dipstick tube it leaked out. Do I have a seal problem or does the tr...

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